When Darkness Falls
by Jennifer Ryu'kage
Summary: The original title that started it all. An elegant elegy for one of the fallen. Enjoy it all over again.


When Darkness Falls

~A short Final Fantasy 8 Story~

I never thought it would end like this.

It's so strange, how you can think you hate someone your whole life and the instant they're gone, you realized you loved them the whole time, you just never noticed. In my case, I loved him like a brother... the brother he sort of was to me.

We've all been rather subdued lately, subdued and sad. Rinoa's taking it harder than all of us, after all, she probably knew him best... and she loved him. But I used the past tense... I should say loves him. We all do, now. Now that he's gone...

I think we've all cried over it, though most of us would never admit it. It's sad. It's how you always wish someone would go away, and when they finally do, you don't know how to function anymore, how to live without them.

He died in a battle, just like he would have wanted to. There was another attack on Dollet, and Headmaster Cid put him in high command, gave him his big chance. He was in charge of all the SeeDs and their trainees, and he loved it, from what I heard. He did everything perfect, following the rather vague directions Cid had given him, and gave out reasonable orders, nothing impossible or too risky. He earned himself a lot of glory, too...

He gave the orders to retreat when the invasion force loosed their new automated attack machine, X-AM093, on the SeeD forces. He went down fighting, buying "his" SeeDs more time to escape. He didn't want to lose anyone, didn't want them to lose their chance to become a SeeD... He did a brave thing, and we're all fiercely proud of him. I know I am. One of the students that was there heard his last words as she boarded the escape vehicles. "Go on! Leave me here, I don't matter! Tell them I went down fighting! GO ON!!!!!" He's finally become one of those people that I can look back and say, "Yeah, I knew him. We used to be rivals. But I miss him. He's the bravest person I've ever known."

His story's sad enough to make a demon cry. After all, it wasn't his fault that he was only human, that he had a few weaknesses. This is only a small section of his story, though... only part of my contribution to the book we're writing. We're going to make him go down in history, like he always wanted to. He's finally going to become famous. It's the least we can do for him.

Now I'm standing here in front of the monument the Garden has built in his honor. There's a few more that will be placed at various points across the globe, at the lighthouse where we grew up together, the new Galbadia and Trabia Gardens... and the place on the beach of Dollet where he went down. 

They've captured him perfectly with this statue, He's standing here in his fighting pose at the Garden Gates, here as an eternal guardian, ready to take on the world if he has to, to save his home. He's got that look on his face, the look that clearly states he wouldn't rather be anywhere else than fighting, a look of concentration on his scarred face. Those of them who don't refer to him by his name are already calling him "the Garden's Knight." He'd be happy about that if he was here today. 

My eyes move to the plate engraved at the bottom of the statue. Every time I read it, I get one of those pangs in my stomach, one of grief. I'm really going to miss him. I never thought it would end like this. 

He's to be buried with full SeeD status, Rank A. Only the best for someone so brave and selfless.

It's become a daily thing, we all gather around the statue of him and remember what it was like to have him here. Even Fujin and Raijin show up. Fujin, the cold, silent, staring one has even found her words a few times, telling us small stories of her times with him. I think they miss him most... after all, they were his Posse. 

I read the words again, as I have so many times before, as we all do.

"In loving memory of Seifer Almasy, a SeeD who excelled and a Sorceress' Knight."

"Slumber through twilight, sleep through the dawn, 

Bright in our memory from first light each morn.

Rest through the winter beneath the soft snow, 

And in the springtime, when bright blossoms show.

Warrior brave who gave all you could give,

You offered your life so that others could live.

No one could tell what our hearts longed to say, 

When we had to leave here, and you had to stay."

~Fin~

Poem taken from The Long Patrol by Brain Jaques, © 1997 by Philomel Books. Final Fantasy 8 and all related characters are property of Squaresoft, © 1999.


End file.
